Clothespin dispensing rack



June 8, 1954 s. GELLER cLoTHEsPIN DISPENSING RACIL-" 2 sheets-sheer 1Filed March 8, 1950 INVENToR. SAMUEL SELLER June 8, 1954 s. GELLER2,680,663

CLOTHESPIN DISPENSING RACK Filed March 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENToR. SAMUEL GELLER g. @Y fl,

Patented June 8, 1,954

UNITED STATES FTNT FFCE.

CLOTHESPIN DISPENSING RACK Samuel Geller, Brooklyn, N. Y. ApplicationMarch 8, 1950, Serial No. 148,350

(Cl. S12-,83)

2 Claims.

This invention relates to dispensers and per tains particularly to adispenser for clothespins or like articles.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel, siinpliiied,and inexpensively manufactured dispenser for clothespins which is easilyoperable manually for dispensing the clothespins one at `a time to ahousewife or other person whose task it is to hang wash or otherarticles out to dry.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a clothespindispenser which may be mounted on a wall or other support adjacent oneterminus of a clothesline and which may receive a supply of clothespinstherein to be dispensed therefrom one at a time by a simple onehandactuation of a dispensing tray.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a clothespindispenser which dispenses a single clothespin in response to anactuation of a dispensing tray and includes means adjustable foraccommodating the dispensation therefrom of clothespins of various crosssections throughout their lengths.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, refer.- ence will be had to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims inwhich the various novel features of the invention are more particularlyset forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a ma tcrial part ci thisdisclosure:

Fig. 1 is an isometric View illustrating the pre ferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

Fig. 2 a plan view of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view oi Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of the preferred embodiment andillustrates the manner in which both the spring plate and dispensingtray are attached to the back panel.

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially along the lines 5- in Fig. 3 andillustrates the association or" the dispensing tray with the springplate.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary isometric view illus trating the side earsformed off the cover and the trunnions adapted to associate with holesin said ears for the pivotal mounting of said cover.

Fig. 7 is an isometric view of the dispensing tray.

Fig. 8 is an isometric view of the spring plate.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detailed view of a portion of Fig. 5.

Fig. l() is a view similar to Fig. 9, but showing the position of theparts when the dispensing tray is lowered or downwardly actuated. y

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a modification of thepresent invention.

Fig. 12 is a front elevational view of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary isometric view illustrating the means forpreventing turning of the rod upon which the adjustable eccentrics arelcan ried.

Fig- 14 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the lineIll-l in Fig'. 12.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged detailed view of a p0rtion of Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary and partially sectionalized viewillustrating the association between the adjustable eccentrics and aparticularly configured clothespin.

The clothespin dispenser, according to the rst form oi the presentinvention, includes a clothespin hopper Ill, which hopper includes afront panel I i, a left panel I2, a right panel I3, all formed from asingle sheet of material such as steel, and a back panel Itl of likematerial. Said back panel Ill is provided with spaced slots I5 forreceiving tabs I5 formed correspondently and spaced along the rear edgesof said side panels, which tabs when bent over provide the means wherebysaid side panels, and therefore said front panel also, are held to saidback panel to form a box-like structure, which the hopper essentiallyis. The mentioned front panel lI is provided with a pendent portion Il,the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter.

Provided to ,cover the open top end of the hopper is a cover I8 whichcover is formed at the rear side portions thereof with pivot ears I9,see Figs. 5 and ,6. in ,order to mount the cover I8 in a pivotal mannertrunnions 2t lare provided and are secured to the side panels I2 and I3adjacent the top edge of the back plate HI, as by welding. Saidtrunnions Vare inserted in the pivot ears just prior to the assemblingstep in which the aforementioned tabs I t are inserted in the said slotsI 5. Therefore, when the tabs are 'bent over after being Ainserted insaid slots the cover will be securely and ericctively mounted pivotallybetween said side panels,

As seen best in Fig. l the said back panel I4 is also provided with apendent portion 2l having dual beaded edges 22 which beaded edges aresuch as to provide sleeves tor receiving a pivot rod 23, the purpose ofwhich will be `seen hereinafter.

In order to close the open bottom of the hopper I0 and thus retain asupply of clothespins therein, a dispensing tray ,2s is provided. The

tray 24 `is of a scoop-like construction, being aeeoos 3 longer in depththan the said hopper to have a forwardly projected lip 25. Formed ateither side of the rear edge of said tray is a pivot sleeve 26 adaptedfor being tted loosely on the ends of the pivot rod 23, in order thatthe tray may be secured pivotally to the back panel I4.

Formed centrally on the rear edge of said dispensing tray is an upwardlyextending lever portion 2l, which portion is positioned in back of aspring plate 28 fastened as by rivets 28a to the above mentioned backpanel I4 (Figs. 4, 5, 'l and 8). As better seen in Fig. 9, theassociation between said lever portion 2'! and spring plate 28 is suchas to maintain the dispensing tray 24 normally resiliently held in araised position, in which position the open bottom end of the hopper isclosed by said tray. However, said tray, in view of the pivotalconnection between the same and the back panel I4, may be loweredagainst the tension of the spring plate 28 to provide an opening betweenthe tray and the bottom end of the hopper.

Means is provided in connection with the lever portion 2'1 and thespring plate 28 to restrict downward movement of the tray 2d to aposition in which the spacing of the bottom wall of the tray from thebottom edge of the pendant portion I'I will be such that only a singleclothespin 30 can pass beneath the pendant portion IT onto the lip 25.That movement restricting means comprises an upstanding lug 27e formedon the lever portion and a corresponding cutout 281 formed on the springplate 28. When the tray 24 is lowered, the lug 21e strikes the materialof the spring plate at the bottom of the cutout 28h, as shown in Fig.10, retaining the tray against further downward movement so that theclothespins 3!! can pass only one at a time beneath the lower edge ofthe pendant portion l1.

Any suitable means may be provided for securing the clothespin dispenserto a wall or other support adjacent a terminus of a clothesline forfacilitated access thereto. However, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the sideportions of said back panel s:

I4 are preferably provided with hole-and-slot openings 29 which areadapted to cooperate with the heads of screws embedded in the mentionedwall or support to thereby provide means whereby the arrangement isdetachably securable to said wall or support.

It will be seen that the above described embodiment is adapted toreceive a supply of longitudinally stacked clothespins, whichclothespins are shown in dot and dash and designated Sil in Fig. 5, andnormally rest on the dispensing tray 24 when the tray is in a raisedposition. When the tray is manually lowered or actuated against thetension of the spring plate 28 an opening is effected between the abovementioned pendent portion I'I on the front panel II and the tray, topermit a clothespin to roll one at a time into the lip 25. Releasing thetray permits the spring plate 28 to return it to its normal raisedposition.

The modication of the invention shown in Figs. 11 to 16 is substantiallysimilar to the just described rst embodiment in that it too provides ahopper I0 including a front panel II, a left panel I2, a right panel I3,and a back panel I4, a cover I8 trunnioned between the side panels I2and I3, and a dispensing tray 2t pivotally attached to the bottom edgeof said back panel I4 and having a lip 25.

As perhaps best seen in Fig. 14, the present embodiment also includes anupwardly extending lever portion 2l formed on the rear edge of saiddispensing tray and adapted for assooiation with a spring plate 28secured to the inner side of the back panel i4 to thereby maintain saidtray normally and resiliently held raised and to restore said tray afterit has been lowered or actuated downwardly together with the means torestrict dispensing of the clothespins to one at a time.

In the present arrangement a pendent portion 3| formed on the frontpanel I I is provided with dual cut-outs 32 and the edge of said pendentportion is beaded to provide sleeves 33, which sleeves are adapted tohold a rod 34 (Figs. 12, 13 and 14). As best seen in Fig. 13, the endsof the rod 34 are flattened as at 35 and the sleeves 33 when pressedthereagainst are effective for preventing the turning of said rod.

Provided to be carried on the rod 3f?. and disposed in the dual cut-outs32 are dual adjustable eccentrics 36 formed of rubber or like material.Said eccentrics are so carried on the xed rod 34 as to be individuallyand manually turnable thereon to thereby vary along its length theopening aorded between the same and the said dispensing tray when saidtray is lowered. It will be seen that since the eccentrios are of rubberthe friction between the same and the rod will be suicient to cause themto remain in any manually pre-set position on said rod.

The just described arrangement is adapted to be adjustable fordispensing clothespins of various cross sections throughout theirlengths. As clearly seen in Fig. 16 one end of a clothespin is mostoften different circumferentially from the other end. Therefore, one ofsaid eccentrics 35 may be pre-set to provide sunicient space to pass oneend of a clothespin between the same and the lowered tray and the otherof said ecoentrics may be pre-set to provide suiiicient space to passthe other end oi said clothespin between the same and the lowered tray.In this manner it is possible to pre-set the eccentrics according to theconiigurations of particular clothespins to thereby afford thedispensation thereof in parallel relation.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modications coming within the scope of the invention asdened in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A clothespin dispenser comprising a boxlike structure includingfront, side and rear panels, and being open at the top and bottom ends,a cover trunnioned between said side panels for covering said open. topend, a dispensing tray pivotally attached to the lower end of said rearpanel and including a lip protruding forwardly and upwardly beyond saidfront panel, an upwardly extending lever portion formed centrally oitthe rear of said dispensing tray, a spring plate anxed to said rearpanel and associated with said lever portion for normally andresiliently maintaining said tray raised to thereby close the bottom endof said box-like structure, means on said lever portion engaging saidspring plate to restrict lowering of said tray to dispense into said lipthereof one of a plurality of clothespins longitudinally stacked in saidbox-like structure and normally reposing on said tray, said spring platebeing eiective for restoring the lowered tray to the raised positionthereof when released, dual cut-outs in the lower edge of said frontpanel, a xed pivot rod crossing each or said cut-outs, and rubbereccentrics frictionally engaged on said rod within said cut-outs andindividually pre-settable for determining the dispensing opening aordedbetween the same and the lowered dispensing tray.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said spring plate overlaps theupwardly extending lever portion in an arcuate shape, and a slot in saidspring plate, said lever portion engaging said slot to limit thedispensing to a single clothespin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberNumber 15 Number Name Date White Apr. 14, 1891 Bowie et a1 Apr. 23, 1895Bechtel Oct. 19, 1909 Noble Feb. 13, 1923 Goodman Apr. 11, 1933Siqveland July 25, 1933 Jay Apr. 16, 1935 Hawie Dec. 27, 1938 Cobbs etal. May 5, 1942 Mielke Feb. 10, 1948 Johnsson Sept. 12, 1950 FOREIGNPATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1896 France Sept. 21, 1931

